Midsomer Norton used to have a Barclays bank on the Island which was closed in 2018.

Barclays has closed many branches since then - in fact ten more have closed in October and November this year. The latest closures mean Barclays will close at least 107 branches by the end of the year.

But the fact that the branches have been shutting up has not stopped activists from targeting the bank as the " dirtiest of them all."

Climate activists protested at many branches of Barclays bank across the South West - covering them with pretend oil. Environmental campaigners wearing face masks and carrying placards were outside the bank in Market Place in Frome.

Extinction Rebellion groups struck simultaneously in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in protest at the bank's funding of fossil fuel industries.

Eco-protesters said the bank was facing 'the biggest ever day' of climate protests as hundreds of people took action at more than 100 Barclays branches.

The protest group say the demonstration is part of a UK-wide campaign to cause major disruption to the bank and will also feature 'die-ins' and street theatre performances.

Extinction Rebellion co-founder Gail Bradbrook, said: "Today hundreds of people staged an intervention on Barclays, sending a message to the high street bank that with protests taking place at over 100 of their branches they are rapidly losing the social licence to do business in towns and cities of the UK.

"It's high time that Barclays recognised the destructive role they are playing as Europe's largest financier of fossil fuels and changed course.

"We want Barclays to stop funding nature destroying projects and more than that we want them to show leadership.

"We ask them to publicly denounce an economic system that is geared towards the destruction of the planet, we want them to admit in public what bankers tell us in private – that they aren't changing fast enough because the current system incentivises harmful behaviour."